An Equation for Suspense
by Yvetta
Summary: Don's perfect day turns sour quickly as an old nemesis starts to kill everyone that means something to the agent.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This computer isn't even mine. So I definitely don't own anyone from Numb3rs and I'm not trying to make any money off them. CBS gets that pleasant job.

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"I have been waiting for this day for three and a half months," Don said with a big grin as he entered the office to find Megan and Colby already at work one sunny morning.

"Why, Don?" Megan asked, smiling because her boss's expression was so infectious.

"We've been going hard on these cases for a quarter of a year, and we finally get a break to catch up on paperwork."

"Ugh," Colby grumbled.

"Sometimes it's nice to just sit and stare at a piece of paper that isn't trying to elude, confuse, or kill you, you know?" Don explained. "Chasing people all day every day makes you get old really quick."

"But it's sure fun while you're young," David put in as he entered.

"At any rate," Don continued, his smile still plastered across his face, "Let's get started. We have plenty to keep ourselves busy for today."

Colby rolled his eyes as he went to his own desk, following his teammates.

"Think it's really just the paperwork?" he asked softly.

"I'm not sure," Megan replied. "He doesn't normally behave like that. Maybe it really _is_ the paperwork; I mean, Don hasn't slept much in a long time. He could have actually had a good eight hours of sleep last night."

"Whatever it is," David put in, "I hope he keeps it up. Don Eppes in a good mood is way better than the alternative. Let's take advantage of it while we can."

"Good point, Sinclair," Megan said with a grin of her own. "I wonder what we can get out of him while he's like this?"

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Charlie hadn't heard from Don all day. Whatever case he was working on must have him really busy. The younger Eppes decided that he should offer his services on this intense case. He pulled out his cell phone while grading papers and dialed his brother.

"Eppes."

"Don?"

"Hey, Charlie! How are you?"

Charlie nearly dropped the phone. "You sure sound chipper," he said slowly. "Are you okay?"

"Can't I be in a good mood without everyone questioning me?"

"Sure, I guess," Charlie answered, shrugging even though he knew Don wouldn't see it.

"So what can I do for you today?"

"I was calling because I figured you must have had a really hard case you were working on. I wanted to offer my help, if you need it."

"Ah, thanks, Charlie," Don replied. "But we're just doing paperwork for today. I'll let you know if something comes up."

"Okay," Charlie answered, confused by his brother's pleasant tone. Don wasn't usually rude, by any means, but he was always clipped and to the point. Not understanding what was going on, Charlie continued, "Uh, Don?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Sure," he answered with a little laugh. "Why?"

"I don't know . . . you're just acting a little strange, that's all."

Don sat back in his chair. "What do you mean?"

"I can't explain it. Just forget it; everything's fine. Call me if you need my help, okay?"

Don shrugged. "Okay, you know I will."

Hanging up, he stared at his cell phone in thought for a few minutes. He did feel really good today, but he didn't think everyone would find it so odd. Perhaps he needed to try to be more enthusiastic more often. It was kind of enjoyable to creep his family and coworkers out.

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It was now five hours into the day of peace, and Don was thoroughly relaxed. He generally hated paperwork, but now that the mountains of it were slowly shrinking from his desk, he felt like a burden had been lifted off of him. He sighed in relief and reached for another paper when his phone rang. Pulling it out, he answered, "Eppes."

"Agent Don Eppes, it is good to hear your voice," said a man on the other end of the line. "You probably don't recognize mine, but I will forgive you for that."

"So who _is_ this, then?" Don asked patiently.

"You will see, my friend. You will see."

Don waited a few seconds for more, but there was only silence. "Are you still there?" he asked.

"Of course, Agent Don Eppes. I'm still here."

"What can I do for you, then? I mean, it's nice talking to you but I'm not sure why you called."

"Well, Agent Don Eppes, I called to warn you."

Don sat forward, not noticing Megan standing in the doorway. She had passed by but heard him talking and stopped to listen in curiosity. "Warn me about what?"

Megan pricked her ears, instantly alerted to something being wrong.

"You are in very serious trouble, my friend," the caller said, still in a pleasant tone of voice.

"How's that?"

"Someone is going to try to torture you in the worst way possible."

Megan's hand went to her mouth as she heard Don say, "And what exactly is the worst way to torture me?"

"By slowly picking off everyone that matters most to you and killing them painfully."

"How?"

"There are people watching your brother Charlie, and your dad, and your coworkers, and your other friends at all times. These people are trained to stalk. They're the best. They're waiting for a command to attack. And when they do, they'll go in and go hard. They'll pick off your acquaintances first, working their way to those who are closest to you. Your little friends won't stand a chance. You can't stop them all."

"And who is it that's going to be doing this?"

"Hadn't you guessed, Agent Don Eppes? I'm an old friend who has come back to haunt you for something you did to me a long time ago. I've been planning this for years, and I refuse to be stopped."

There was a short silence as Don absorbed this, and then the caller said, in a very evil tone: "I'm coming for you, Agent Don Eppes." And the line went dead.

Don pulled his phone down and dropped it on the desk as though it had shocked him. He stared at it, confusion on his face. Megan swallowed. "Who was that, Don?" she asked softly.

He almost jumped as her voice registered. "Megan? How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know that something is wrong. What was that about?"

Don took a deep breath before looking down at his phone again. "Just another threat."

"That didn't sound like an ordinary threat, Don," Megan said.

"It wasn't," Eppes replied, shaking his head. "It was a bit more disturbing than most."

"What happened?"

Megan's eyes widened as Don told her what the caller had said. "So much for my good mood," he grumbled. "Why does some sadistic criminal have to go and ruin such a good day?"

Megan smiled in spite of the situation at Don's attempt at levity. "So what's the plan, boss?" she asked.

"I can't put protection on everyone I know," he said. "I'll have to put someone on Charlie and Dad, but I don't know when they'll attack, or where, or why, or even if it's not just a hoax."

"Don't stress about it too much, Don," Megan said comfortingly. "We'll work it out."

Just then, Don's phone rang again. "Eppes."

"Agent Eppes, LAPD. Look, there was a shooting at an apartment building," a familiar voice said.

"What's the FBI connection?" Don asked.

"It's not an FBI connection. It's a personal connection."

"What?" Don asked, confused.

"Well, Agent Eppes, it was _your_ apartment building. Your apartment was ransacked, shot up, and pretty much destroyed. And there's more," he went on, before Don could say anything. "We found a dead body on your bed."

"What?!" Don shouted, jumping to his feet. "Do you know who?"

"There was ID on the victim," the officer went on. "It's Agent Kim Hall. I believe the two of you have some connections in the past."

A silence ensued as Don tried to take all of this in. Finally, he opened his mouth again.

"Am I a suspect?" Don asked, his voice going hoarse. Megan jumped forward, not knowing what exactly was going on but knowing things were going downhill fast.

"No, Agent Eppes. We know you have a solid alibi and there was a note from the killer to you left here. But we wanted you to be aware of it. We'd like you to come down to the station in about an hour, if you could."

"Sure," Don choked out. "Thanks."

He closed his phone and his eyes, pain starting to localize between his eyes.

"Don," Megan began gently, hoping to help. But just then, his phone rang again.

Feeling utterly exhausted already, Don opened it. "Eppes," he said, still hoarse.

"It has begun, Agent Don Eppes," his tormenter's voice said. "Who could possibly be next?"

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Note : Agent Kim Hall is from an episode in Season 1, for those who might have been wondering where she came from. Now, this is my first Numb3rs fiction and I mostly just wanted to get something off my chest. I'm not sure where this is going, or if it's going at all. You decide.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews I received. I actually DID have a few plans in mind in case I felt the desire to finish this work but I appreciate everyone's input all the same.

Oh, and I still don't own anything of value, Numb3rs characters included.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Don snapped his phone shut in utter frustration. Megan still stood to one side, trying to offer what little she could in moral support. After a few tense seconds, Don grumbled, "I have to go home early today," and grabbed his jacket.

"Wait," Megan said, following him out of his office. "What happened? You probably need someone to talk to."

"No, look, what I _need_ is for you to just leave me alone for today, okay?" he growled, taking out his anger on her even though she really didn't have anything to do with the current situation.

"Don," she said softly, hurt by his words.

"Not now," he said over his shoulder as he continued out the door.

Megan watched him leave, sadness overwhelming her knowing his life was falling apart and yet not being able to help unless he shared more information. She shook her head and stalked off.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Charlie tried calling Don's phone a few times after their strangely cheery conversation earlier, but either Don's phone was off or he didn't pick up. But he was still worried about his brother, so he called the office and talked to Colby.

"Where's Don?" he asked after exchanging pleasantries with the agent.

"I don't know," Colby answered. "Why don't you try his cell?"

"I already did – a few times. Isn't he there?"

"I don't think so," came the vague response. Megan had just walked in and was listening to his conversation, praying that Colby wasn't about to blow up as well.

"Where would he have gone?" Charlie continued.

"I don't know, Charlie," Colby said. "One minute he was here, being perky and disturbingly happy and then suddenly he's who knows where."

"He's gone home," Megan said from beside him, hoping that maybe Charlie would be able to help Don.

"Uh . . . Megan says he went home," Colby put in, giving her a look of curiosity.

"Why?" Charlie pressed.

"Look, I _don't know_," Colby repeated.

Megan snatched the phone away quickly. "Charlie?" she asked.

"Megan?"

"Yeah, Charlie – there's something really wrong going on."

"What? Aside from Don's happy phase, I mean."

"No, I mean I went by his office and he was still happy and then he got this call. Some guy was threatening Don and people that were close to him and he was pretty upset. Then he got another call. I don't know who it was or what they said, but he asked if he was a suspect for something. Then he stormed out and said he was going home."

"Whoa," Charlie said after a moment of silence. David, Colby, and Charlie were all processing this information.

"I don't know what to do, but he snapped at me when I asked if I could help," Megan continued. "There's definitely something wrong here and I think we need to do something about it before it becomes a crisis."

"What do you think I should do?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know, but you two have a good relationship. Maybe you could talk to him or something. Give him support until he gets everything under control."

"I'll try calling him again . . ."

"No, Charlie. Go to his apartment and talk to him there. I have a really bad feeling that he shouldn't be left alone right now."

"Okay, Megan. I'll go over there. But if he tries to bite my head off . . ."

"You can blame me," she finished with a smile. "Just make sure you're there for him."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Charlie got to Don's place pretty quickly, and was shocked to find that it seemed to be a crime scene. Police officers were going in and out and Charlie suddenly had a sinking feeling in his stomach – what if his brother had been killed in his own apartment? He rushed forward, only to be stopped at the door.

"Sorry, sir – this is a crime scene and you can't come in," an office said.

"But this is Don's – my brother's – place! Is he okay? Don?" he shouted, nearly panicking.

"Hey, Eppes," the officer said warily. "There's a guy here to see you."

Don came to the door and saw Charlie. His first reaction was of relief, that he knew his brother was safe and that he didn't have to be alone at one of the most horrible moments of his life. His second reaction was annoyance that he knew Charlie wouldn't leave him alone any more for the next few days and he'd have to explain what was going on. But he was too tired and upset to care about the annoyance for long.

"Charlie," he said, his voice hoarse.

Charlie was surprised. Don looked like he'd been awake for two weeks straight. He had bags under his eyes and he clearly had a headache. "Don, I've been trying to call for a while . . . what's going on?"

"It's a crime scene, Charlie," he said patiently, trying to postpone the inevitable.

"I can see that, Don," Charlie returned. "What happened?"

"Someone left a dead body here," the elder Eppes said. "On my bed."

Judging from the way Don's voice cracked slightly as he said that, Charlie knew it wasn't a random body but someone his brother deeply cared about. "Are you okay?" he said gently.

"Yeah," Don said unconvincingly.

"Who was it?"

Don swallowed. "Kim."

Charlie's jaw dropped, but only for a second. "Kim as in the Kim you nearly married?"

"Yeah," Don said again, despair written into his face. "That Kim." He paused for a moment, then said, "This guy just murdered her and left her there . . . on my bed, in my bedroom, in my house."

His voice was quivering as he spoke. He looked unsteady. Charlie knew now why Megan had been so concerned. Don was putting up a front but he was definitely not okay. His ex-fiance had been brutally (Charlie could only imagine that a psycho who would leave a dead body on someone's bed would probably have committed the murder brutally) and left for him to find. And Don had been threatened. The agent was tired and frustrated and really needed to step away from the situation.

"Come home with me, Don," Charlie said softly, noticing that Don was rubbing the bride of his nose in silent agitation. "You don't need to be here right now."

"No, Charlie, _you_ don't need to be here right now. I was asked to identify the body of the woman I nearly married. I talked to a guy who says he's going to kill everyone I care about. I can't stay in my own place because it's a crime scene!"

Charlie had to keep himself from a slight grin in spite of the situation. Normally, even under the worst circumstances, Don could make his arguments sound reasonable. But that last one hadn't made any sense. It had gone from a logical statement to ranting about what was going on. There was obviously trouble.

"Just come with me, then, Don," Charlie repeated. "We'll go find Dad and make sure he's okay; then we'll stay together for a quiet night in. Maybe we'll play a game or something."

"I want to get drunk," Don suddenly said.

"Okay," Charlie replied, eager for any sort of commitment from his brother. "We'll go home and you can get good and drunk."

Don put a hand over his face for a few seconds, then turned to an officer inside. "Do you need me any more?"

Apparently the answer was no, because Don nodded, grabbed his jacket, and followed Charlie out the door. He didn't speak as they traveled to Charlie's house. He didn't say anything when they went inside. He sighed audibly with relief when he saw his dad sitting on the sofa, but still remained quiet. He rubbed his eyes again, not actually hearing the things Alan was saying to him. All he could manage at that time was to collapse into the nearest chair and bury his face in his hands. He probably would have stayed like that for a long time if his cell phone hadn't started to ring again.

He took it out and looked at it blankly as it rang the second time, not noticing that Charlie and Alan were staring at him with concern. He swallowed nervously, knowing who it was that was calling. Don was terrified that someone else had been killed.

"Eppes," he choked out.

"Aw, Donnie, you've gone home," the familiar voice taunted. "Were you afraid I would do something to daddy and little brother?"

"What do you want?" he nearly sobbed into the phone. "What?"

"Revenge," came the cold reply. "That's all I want. I want to see Agent Don Eppes in pure misery. I want to see you squirm and beg for mercy. I want to see you break."

"I'm in misery now," Don said.

"Not yet, you aren't," the voice laughed. "You don't even know what misery is yet. But you will. You will."

"What can I do, then?"

"What's the matter – do you feel helpless? Imagine how your poor suspects feel when you cuff them and throw them in prison. Helpless. And that's just how my latest victim felt."

"Felt?" Don repeated, his heart sinking at the word being in past tense.

"Better check up on your friend Terry Lake," the voice said as the phone disconnected.

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Note: Everyone had a lot to say last time, and I just want to preface any comments you might make with this: I don't intend to kill characters that a) I like a lot, or b) I imagine will be making more appearances on the show some time in the future. Just a little thought to ease the pain of the cliffhanger a bit.


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